Remember when your parents made you wear your jacket over your Halloween costume because it was cold out? (Vampires have capes, so they don't need jackets, right?)
Well, the Federal Trade Commission is worried about consumers' health this Halloween as well. Recently, the FTC sent warning letters to seven domestic brick-and-mortar retailers warning them that it is illegal to sell contact lenses -- even cosmetic contacts -- without a prescription. The FTC did not identify the names of the retailers who received the letters.
In the letters, the FTC told the retailers that, pursuant to the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers' Act and the Contact Lens Rule, both cosmetic and corrective contact lenses are restricted medical devices that require a prescription. The FTC also warned the retailers that violations of the Contact Lens Rule could subject them to penalties of up to $42,530 per violation.
So, if you're advertising that last minute vampire costume, or planning to market cosmetic contacts in the future, make sure that you're not changing people's eye color without a prescription.
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